Two weeks ago, Mel thought her well-loved Gumeracha cafe at the site of the Big Rocking Horse would never make a come back after wild weather caused over $8,000 in damages, but locals quickly rallied to help the SA landmark recover and refused to let this beloved cafe disappear.
Last weekend, Rik’s Grill set up their mouthwatering American BBQ food truck in the car park to keep visitors to one of SA’s Big Thing landmarks well fed and happy. Mel called it an absolute triumph, with just over $2,000 raised to rebuild the well-known local spot.
“She wasn’t expecting that much! She cried with joy,” Rik – owner of Rik’s Grill – said.
Over 1000 people visited the park and local landmark over the two-day fundraiser.
Now, they plan to re-open in time for the next school holidays “on a smaller scale”, according to Mel. In the meantime, this weekend and next weekend there will be more local food and coffee trucks.
Mel says “we’re not asking for anything in return. It’s so people can come to the park, see the horse and have something to eat and drink.”
Mel will also under the Rocking Horse on the weekends selling soft drinks.
“Come on down say hi, have a chat and happy to answer any questions as well,” she said.
In an post on Facebook, Mel thanked Rik and his wife Tanya for their hard fundrasing work.
“This week we started pulling out built in appliances that were surged that had cabinetry built in around them and discovered we will need to do new cabinetry so we opted to utilise the money raised and purchase Bunnings Warehouse cabinetry and build it ourselves to save money,” she added.
“Then it was another trip to Bunnings to sort out bench tops, kick boards and fascia.
“The next 2 days will be installing the bench tops and kick boards. Then next week it will be some plumbing adjustments for the coffee machine in new counters. Then the big one, new electrical power points and power board upgrade.”
Other local business’ are getting around the cafe too, with new fridges and flooring being donated to the re-build after the storms damaged the cafe in early September.
Rik said utlimately the fundraiser turned out “really good”.
“I went back there and saw the tradies working, music on and Mel singin’ along while working away,” he added.
“Then when I went to leave, her husband said to me ‘Thanks for putting life back into our venue’. That meant a fair bit to me.”
Mel says she felt like she had let the park down but all the love and support from the community has given her so much strength.
“I just want you to all know that the Big rocking horse will NEVER close on my watch!” she said on Facebook.
“I love this place and I love seeing people make precious memories.”
What: Big Rocking Horse Cafe
Where: 452 Torrens Valley Rd, Gumeracha SA 5233
For more information, click here.
More News
